Face Off Vol. 18- Trading Places

Personalization

In the Pro Wrestling there is always been a fine line between friends and enemies. There are wrestlers that are always trying to taking each others spots and everyone wants to be the top dog. Well what happens when a booker hires a wrestler and that wrester takes over their bosses job as a booker? That is exactly what happened when head booker for ROH Gabe Sapolsky got fired by the company on October 26, 2008 and than replaced by a active wrestler on the roster who goes by the name of Adam Pearce!!! What happens when RF VIDEO puts these two FACE to FACE with each other and hires former WWE announcer/wrestler Matt Striker to conduct the interview and instigate the tension between the two!!!

This is the DVD that will have every ROH fan drooling from their mouths as they watch their favorite ROH booker that many proclaim, Gabe Sapolsky come face to face with the man who he felt stole his spot Adam Pearce. What makes it more crazy was everything that was leading up to it between Gabe and the office. You will hear all about the fall out and how Gabe reacted when he was let go. How did Adam make the transition form being just one of the boys, to now being their boss as booker.

How much heat did the two of them have at this point and both men talk all about the inner working of the company and how hard was it for Adam to change the direction of the company that Gabe had set up. Both men discuss all the talent that they got to work with in ROH and compare notes on who was easy and if anyone was a headache. Speaking of headaches, both men talk about issues they might have had with other office employees at the time as well while they were in ROH.

The interview gets intense as both men discuss what it was like working as the captain of the ship and all the hurdles that they and to deal with. They also discuss what it was like to work with Jim Cornette and how the company changed with TV. They give their theories on why stuff did not work for them at certain points and how they dealt with the corporate landscape.

This is a must DVD for all ROH fans to own. Matt Striker left no rock unturned and asked them all the tough questions as you can feel the tension between the two from the minute we turned the camera on. Gabe and Adam finally meet FACE TO FACE and this DVD will set the record straight as you will feel like a fly on the wall and witness the entire conversation go down!!!!

Gabe Sapolsky and Adam Pearce

What are your first memories of the other?

Gabe: Talk about how important ROH was to you personally and where the promotion was, in terms of health, when you first booked Adam.

Adam: When did you first learn of ROH and what made you want to work for the company?

Gabe: What made you first book Adam for ROH?What did you like about him as a worker?

Gabe and Adam: Talk about each of your booking philosophies in general, not specifically booking ROH but your beliefs on what works in wrestling.

Gabe and Adam: Critique what you like and don’t like about the other’s style based on what they just said.

Adam: What were your thoughts on Gabe’s booking style in ROH?

Adam: When were you first approached about replacing Gabe?What were you told about why they were firing him?Were you aware they wanted you to take the booking job when you were publicly let go in September 2009?Did you ever consider approaching Gabe to let him know they were looking to get rid of him?

Gabe: Discuss being let go in October 2009 and whether you expected it was coming?What is your side of why ROH let you go?Did you feel they were justified at the time?In hindsight, were they justified?

Gabe: What was your first reaction when you heard Adam Pearce was the new booker?

Gabe: Did you ever reach out to Adam when he was hired?

Adam: Did you ever reach out to Gabe?If not, why not?

Adam: How hard is it to pick up the threads of someone else’s storylines and make them your own?Was it hard to get the locker room on your side?

Gabe: There are two rumors as to why you were let go – one is that you had a fit while in Japan for ROH and the other is that you refused to put the ROH title on Jerry Lynn – do you care to respond to either of those stories?

Gabe: Were you upset the boys didn’t try to fight to make sure you remained booker?

Adam: What was your first communication with ROH’s roster at the time when you were named booker?Were you apprehensive about walking into someone else’s locker room and running the show?

Gabe: How do you deal with someone else suddenly running what was until then your show creatively?How do you deal with knowing something you created is moving on without you?

Adam: What changes were you asked to bring to ROH?At the time, it was reported that Cary Silkin wanted more of a old school style to the product, vs. the high impact 21st century style that Gabe had booked?

Adam: Talk about the talents you brought into ROH as booker that had never been there before.

Gabe: Discuss why you would or wouldn’t have used those talents in ROH.

Gabe and Adam: Discuss Cary Silkin, your dealings with him and what the biggest fights with him to get your creative vision through were like?What are the best and worst things about Cary as a boss and a person?

Adam and Gabe: The ROH fan base is extremely outspoken. Discuss the best and worst things about the ROH fans.What’s it like being on the wrong end of their ire and criticism?Do you think ROH sometimes catered too much to the online fans?

Gabe: From seeing and reading about what ROH was like under Adam, do you feel he had the pulse of the audience like you did?What were his mistakes in your estimation?

Adam: There was a lot of criticism of ROH when you were booking it, specifically the DQs and run-ins when ROH rarely had main events had such elements.How do you respond to that?

Gabe: ROH signed a TV deal right after you were let go.Do you feel it got the deal based on your booking?

Adam: Talk about the ROH on HDNet TV product and what you were told about how the show should be booked?Compare booking the TV show to the ROH house shows.

Gabe: Talk about how you approached the ROH shows since they were being sold on DVD.What did you feel you needed on the shows in order to make sure each title would sell?

Adam: When you were booking, there was a feeling that the non-TV shows became more atypical house shows.It’s believed the DVD sales dropped during that time period.Explain how you approached those events and how you booked them.If you had to do it over, would you have approached those shows differently?

Gabe: When you see ROH isn’t doing as well as it had done under you, do you worry about the company and want to reach out to help or is there a “fuck them” attitude?

Adam: Rumor-killer: Is it true you approached HDNet with the idea of replacing ROH with NWA TV if ROH was canceled?

Gabe: Rumor-killer: Is it true you wrote Mark Cuban an email trying to get DGUSA and EVOLE on HDNet?Did you ever hear back?

Adam Rumor-killer: Were you booking independent talents in ROH so you could get booked working their indy groups when you weren’t on the road for ROH?

Adam and Gabe: Do you think wrestling independently while booking ROH was a conflict of interest for Adam?

Adam and Gabe: Let’s talk about Nigel McGuinness.Gabe, it’s believed the PPV numbers dropped when Nigel was made champion.What is your theory on why that happened?

Adam: Was it a mistake to turn Nigel heel in Dayton, Ohio when he had traditionally been a draw in that market as a babyface?

Adam and Gabe: Do you think Nigel’s work in the ring and as ROH champion has been overlooked by the fans today because of how prematurely his career ended?

Adam and Gabe: Let’s talk Tyler Black.Gabe you were prepping him to become ROH champion when you were let go.That title win didn’t come for a long, long time instead.Do you think ROH missed their window with him?

Adam: Why was Tyler’s title win canceled?Discuss your approach to how he was booked in ROH?

Adam and Gabe: Did it hurt ROH that Tyler was signed to a WWE developmental deal while he was the reigning ROH champion?

Adam and Gabe: Discuss your experiences working with Austin Aries as a talent.What are his best features and what are the biggest frustrations of him as a talent?

Adam and Gabe: Memories of working with…

Kevin Steen

El Generico

Roderick Strong

The Briscoes

Davey Richards

Eddie Edwards

Delirious

Brent Albright

Colt Cabana

Jerry Lynn

Chris Hero

Bryan Danielson

Adam: When Bryan was released by WWE, why did ROH never book him?

Adam: Discuss the details of your release as ROH booker?Did you know it was coming?What or who do you blame it on?

Adam: Do you think your run there was a success or a failure?

Gabe: When you heard Pearce was let go, did you want to try and get the book back?

Adam: Is it true you were let go for physically threatening one of the original office workers?If not, why were you released?

Gabe: What were your thoughts on Pearce being let go.Did you feel this vindicated you in terms of your creative direction being the right one for ROH?

Gabe and Adam:What were your first thoughts when Delirious was named booker?Did you think he would be able to last creatively?

Gabe and Adam: Thoughts on the wrestling media and whether they help or hinder promotions on the independent level?Do you feel they covered your respective runs and departures from ROH fairly?What writers are more fair and who are the ones that really get it wrong in terms of covering stories correctly?

Gabe and Adam: Memories of Larry Sweeney

Gabe and Adam: What happened to Bobby Dempsey?

Gabe and Adam: Thoughts of ROH today as it exists under Sinclair Broadcasting?What was your first reaction when heard Cary had sold the company?

Gabe and Adam: Why do you think Jim Cornette didn’t work out booking ROH?

Gabe: Talk about Jim Cornette making you an offer to have an interpromotional angle between ROH and EVOLVE.Discuss why you turned the deal down?

Adam: You were going to be brought in as the announcer on ROH TV when it started.You were not brought back, according to Jim Cornette, because Ross Abrams made a stink about it – what is your side of the story?If Ross had an issue with you returning, why did you work ROH events in Florida over Wrestlemania 28 weekend?

Gabe and Adam: Thoughts on ROH letting original office workers go?

Gabe and Adam: Would either of you want the ROH book back if it was offered to you?

Gabe and Adam: What was the biggest mistake you each made while booking ROH?

Gabe and Adam: What was the biggest mistake you felt the other made while booking ROH?

Gabe and Adam: How much do you follow ROH today?

Gabe and Adam: What ROH talents are you surprised haven’t moved on to TNA or WWE?

Gabe and Adam: What would be the best advice you would give Delirious about how to book the company?

Gabe and Adam: Predict where ROH will be in five years.

Gabe and Adam: Predict where the other person will be in five years.

Gabe and Adam: If you were hired to book a company together, who are the first five talents you hire?

Gabe: When are you going to book Adam in DGUSA or EVOLVE?

Gabe and Adam: What would you say to Cary Silkin if he was sitting in between the two of you right now?